This invention pertains to orthodontic oral screens, and specifically to such screens which are seatable within a person's mouth adjacent labial gum structure in the upper and lower arches, and which have an elastomeric web portion actable on teeth.
This invention is intended particularly for use on patients who, due to protruding front teeth, have what is termed as an open bite, wherein the upper and lower incisors do not meet when the mouth is closed. This condition, also commonly known as buckteeth, is quite often caused by continued thumb-sucking during the person's youth.
An open bite prevents a person's lips from closing easily during swallowing. In order to compensate for this, such a person will typically use his tongue to seal the open bite during swallowing. Such tongue action causes an undesired orthodontic force which further opens the bite.
In order to prevent use of the tongue in this situation, a conventional oral seal is used which is made of rigid material to conform to the particular tooth structure existing within the patient's mouth. This provides a seal when placed on the central labial surfaces of the upper and lower tooth arches. Such provides a complete seal when the lips are pressed thereagainst during swallowing, obviating any need to use the tongue for that function. Such conventional screens provide an effective seal, but do not provide any tooth-position-correcting force upon the splayed teeth.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a screen which applies a tooth-position-correcting force as well as an oral seal.
It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide such a screen which has a relatively rigid outer rim formed to fit the contours of the mouth structure, and a relatively thin elastomeric web portion bounded and supported by such rim portion which stretches over teeth when placed within a patient's mouth.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.